On September 27 – 29, 900 dedicated Relay volunteers and staff from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Hawaii, and Texas convened in Dallas, TX for the 2012 Relay For Life Leadership Summit. The event featured the message “Dream Big, Hope Big, Relay Big” inspiring volunteers and staff to return to their communities and ask for one more donation, one more committee member, one more sponsor.
Highlights of the Summit included the lively and uplifting performance by the Drum Café during the opening general session; and hearing from ACS funded researcher Dr. Vidya Gopalakrishnan who shared her promising research for the treatment and cure of Medullablastoma, a highly malignant pediatric brain tumor.
Throughout the weekend attendees were inspired by the 2013 Heroes of Hope. Twenty-seven cancer survivors and caregivers shared their “I Am Hope” statements and their victories in the fight against cancer. To view a list of the 2013 Heroes of Hope, visit cancer.org/heroesofhope.
As always, the awards ceremony brought lots of excitement and energy to the group. A special award was given to American Cancer Society longtime volunteer leader Charlie Mason of San Antonio, Texas. Charlie received his award and was inducted into the High Plains Relay For Life Hall of Fame for his 17 years of service to Relay For Life and ACS.
Unique to this year’s Summit was the opportunity for attendees to enroll in Cancer Prevention Study III (CPS-3). On Saturday morning, 233 people enrolled in the study, helping to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Visit cancer.org/cps3 for more information, or go to cps3hp.org for enrollment locations.
At the conclusion of Summit, Relay volunteers and staff returned to their regions excited and empowered to Dream BIG, Hope BIG and Relay BIG.
For more information about Relay For Life or how to get involved in your community visit relayforlife.org. For more information about the American Cancer Society visit cancer.org or call us, anytime day or night at 1.800.227.2345.
Filed under: Fight Back | Tagged: Leadership Summit, Relay For Life | Comments Off